TikTalk: TikTokers with disabilities show equity has a long way to go
The experiences of people with disabilities are left out of mainstream media, left out of discussions about marginalized communities and, most surprisingly, not taught within educational institutions. This problem did not come to my attention until I came across the community of creators with disabilities on TikTok.
TikTokers with disabilities have used the app to educate people about the inaccessibility they face and spread awareness for work that needs to be done to improve their everyday experiences. Not only that, creators with disabilities have also used the platform to build a community, something that is so often not present in other forms of media.
My first encounter with creators with disabilities on TikTok came from Mya Pol (@immarollwithit), a student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who makes videos describing transportation and travel as a wheelchair user.
For instance, in one TikTok, Pol visits home during winter break. Since her home is not accessible, she has to stay in a hotel and travel to her parents’ house. However, there are other transportation issues. Taxis, Ubers and Lyfts do not have accommodations for people with disabilities, and public transportation has limited appropriate stops. Thus, Pol has to roll from her hotel to her parents’ house.
Pol puts it best when she said, “Lack of accessible transportation contributes to the exclusion of disabled people … Many people are put in the situation where we’re forced to literally roll through the streets, in our wheelchairs. It’s not safe, it’s not humane . . . We can do better and should do better.”
Unfortunately, the barriers do not stop there. The sidewalks — very much like those around USC — are uneven and quite dangerous and difficult for wheelchair users to maneuver. In just one short video, Pol gave users a firsthand account of some of the transportation issues that exist for wheelchair users like herself.
She brings awareness to the need for more readily available and affordable transportation options — ones that do not cost $70k, such as the wheelchair-accessible vans Pol mentions.
Similarly, a creator named Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) shared similar transportation issues regarding snow and sidewalks. Fortunately, the sidewalks were shoveled so that he can safely use his wheelchair outside of the streets. But, the ramp, which he needs to use to get off the sidewalk to cross the street, was blocked with a pile of snow.
Rightfully filled with frustration and disappointment West said, “Dear cities and allies, if you cannot continue to create more barriers for us, that would be great. If there’s a cut out in a curb, it is there for a reason, we need it, so please don’t pile your snow or park it in front of it.”
He is correct, there are a plethora of barriers that exist for people with disabilities and, oftentimes, more are unknowingly and carelessly created.
In contrast to Pol and West, an influencer with disabilities who has been on the internet for many years is Molly Burke (@mollyburkerofficial). A blind Youtuber and motivational speaker, Burke makes a lot of videos explaining the work her guide dog does and how he assists her.
Her guide dog, Bennix, is always by her side, and Burke creates amazing videos openly and answers questions about what exactly Bennix does. These videos are great educational tools for people who genuinely want to learn anything, from the hand gesture commands Bennix uses to how he can put on his harness on his own.
Similar to Burke’s guide dog, Mabel the service dog (@servicebearmabel) and her owner have created amazing TikToks that explain how to interact with service dogs. Honestly, if it were not for TikTok, I would not have known the importance of not distracting a service dog while they are working.
In one video, Mabel’s owner shows good and bad examples of how to interact with a service dog. Of course, it is super easy to want to go up to a dog and pet it (I mean Mabel is adorable), but we have to respect their space and let them do their job because they are assisting people whose health and safety rely on the dog’s full attention.
As someone who does not have a disability, it can be very easy for these kinds of barriers and lessons to go unnoticed. We are so accustomed to architecture, transportation and more that suits our needs or are easily accessible, affordable and available.
If you are fortunate enough to be in a major whose classes are housed in newer buildings on campus, there is guaranteed access and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, USC is more than 100 years old, meaning that many campus buildings are just as old, and have little to no accessibility for wheelchair users.
Similarly, if a newly admitted student who uses a wheelchair decides they want to live in campus housing, their options are limited. First-year residence halls such as New and North Residential Colleges, Marks Hall and Trojan Hall do not have elevators.
USC needs to do better and in the same way people have fought so hard for better accommodations during the coronavirus pandemic, people need to do their part to fight for accommodations for people with disabilities — both physical and mental. As we return to campus for in-person semesters, we need to consider how all students will navigate campus and how people without disabilities can use our privilege to ensure change.
Users such as Pol, West, Burke and Mabel’s owner have taught me more than any class, experience or media platform has taught me, and they are just a few of the creators with disabilities that are making videos on TikTok. I highly encourage people who do not have disabilities to visit their and other users’ pages to fully educate themselves and support the work that they are doing.
Trinity Gomez is a senior writing about TikTok and popular culture. Her column, “TikTalk,” runs every other Thursday.